This agreement was formalized by Dr. Vincent Biruta, the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Maneesh Gobin, the Mauritian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade, further solidifying their already fruitful cooperation.
This agreement aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, aimed at transforming Africa into a leading global player by removing internal economic barriers.
It’s worth noting that Rwanda and Mauritius already maintain vibrant bilateral relations. In 2014, they signed an agreement to boost investments, trade, and mutual cooperation.
Both nations are recognized for their significant efforts in facilitating investments on the African continent. This signing follows President Paul Kagame’s visit to Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth in June 2022.
Jugnauth had also visited Rwanda where he paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at Kigali Genocide Memorial.
According to a report from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, Mauritius significantly increased its investments in Rwanda, growing from $386.4 million in 2020 to $543.8 million in 2021, representing a growth of 40.7%. In 2021, Mauritius dominated foreign investments in Rwanda, holding an impressive share of 32.4%, particularly in the financial, energy, technology, and tourism sectors.
Besides, several Mauritian companies, including Mauritius Union Assurance and LOLC Mauritius Holdings Limited, have established a presence in Rwanda. The latter, a subsidiary of the Sri Lankan firm LOLC Holding PLC, recently acquired 90% of the shares of Unguka Bank PLC.
Located in the Indian Ocean, to the east of Madagascar, Mauritius is composed of other islands such as Rodrigues to the east, Agalega, and Saint Brandon, which are part of the Mascarene Islands.
The island nation has a population of approximately 1.3 million people over an area of 2,040 square kilometers.
Fred Gisa Rwigema is in the category of “Imanzi” heroes.
His tragic demise occurred during the daring incursion of the armed wing of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), into Rwandan territory.
Comprising over three thousand individuals, mainly young Rwandans in exile, this force aimed to challenge the entrenched regime of President Juvenal Habyarimana. At the time, Habyarimana’s government stubbornly refused to allow Rwandan exiles to return to their homeland.
Rwigema’s loss struck a severe blow to the leadership of the FPR, both within the RPF and its army. The leadership, out of concern that revealing his death would demoralize their troops and endanger their mission, initially classified it as top secret. Rwigema had been the linchpin of the invasion, and his absence weighed heavily on their efforts.
This military campaign was a bold move against Habyarimana’s government, which had declared a state of national saturation, denying the rights of Rwandans in exile to return home. Tragically, Rwigema’s fate was followed by the loss of two other top commanders, Major Peter Bayingana and Major Chris Bunyenyezi, who were killed by Habyarimana’s forces in Ryabega. This further intensified the gravity of their sacrifice.
For a month, the RPF maintained a strategic silence about these critical losses before officially announcing them at a press conference in Brussels.
The reaction from the Habyarimana regime was swift. In Rwanda, supporters of the genocidal regime greeted the news with jubilation, while the RPF, though wounded, regrouped and continued their struggle.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, Tito Rutaremara, a key figure in the RPF who currently serves as the Chairperson of Rwanda Elders’ Advisory Forum, reflected on this tumultuous period.
He explained that the media silence was a deliberate effort to preserve troop morale and external support, stating, “Announcing such a loss on the first day would have sown doubt and confusion.”
The post-Rwigema era witnessed the ascent of Major General Paul Kagame, who, at the time, was undergoing military training in the United States. He answered the call of duty and assumed command of the RPA, returning to Rwanda on October 8, 1990, just days after the tragic loss of Maj Gen Fred Rwigema.
In later years, rumors circulated, partly fueled by Major Michael Mupende, who was in exile in the United States, suggesting internal dissent within the RPA as the cause of the “assassinations” of these honorable sons of Rwanda.
General (retired) James Kabarebe, currently the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs, vehemently refuted this theory, asserting that the deaths occurred in combat, in the face of the enemy. There was no more to it than that.
The memory of Maj Gen Rwigema and his comrades who fell in battle remains etched in the annals of national history. Rwigema was laid to rest on October 1, 1995, with full military honors at the Heroes’ Square in Remera.
Today, the names of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of a free Rwanda serve as enduring symbols of a struggle that, even in the darkest hours, aimed to restore Rwanda to its unified and sovereign essence.
A meeting took place in August, during which the Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK, Johnston Busingye, was also in attendance. The discussions during this meeting covered various aspects of the bilateral relationship between Rwanda and the UK, and according to Makolo, the article contained several factual inaccuracies.
Makolo clarified that Chelgate, owned by Terence Fane-Saunders, mentioned in the article, neither represented nor currently represents the Rwandan government. The government had terminated its contract with Mr. Fane-Saunders’ company over a year ago, and therefore, his comments should be disregarded.
Addressing the broader issues raised in the article, Makolo emphasized Rwanda’s pride in partnering with the UK government to address the challenges posed by the broken global migration system. She underscored the need to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent the empowerment of criminal smuggling networks, highlighting that Rwanda was actively engaged in finding solutions in cooperation with the UK.
In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda entered into a migration and economic development partnership aimed at offering a dignified life to those seeking asylum in European countries. Under this agreement, some individuals would be relocated to Rwanda and supported through various initiatives.
Makolo expressed Rwanda’s deep empathy for those seeking safety and opportunity in a new land, citing the country’s historical context as a driving force behind its approach to migration and asylum issues. She reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to combating discrimination, emphasizing that it is enshrined in the nation’s constitution and upheld through a dedication to the rule of law.
Regarding the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, Makolo stressed that Rwanda and the UK approach their collaboration from a foundation of mutual respect and open dialogue.
She also highlighted the pivotal role played by the Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK in maintaining the strong bilateral relationship between the two nations across various domains, including migration.
Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister for Finance and Economic Planning and Keith Hansen, World Bank Country Director inaugurated a multimedia photo exhibition depicting Rwanda’s development story over the past six decades and joined a conference to reflect on 60 years of partnership.
Rwanda became a member of the World Bank on September 30, 1963. Since then, the bank has provided about 8.2 billion in support of different development programs in Rwanda including human capital, infrastructure, agriculture, resilience, and private sector development. Over the last decade, one million people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty, capitalizing on a rapidly improving agriculture sector in which the International Development Association (IDA) has been proud to make substantial investments.
“World Bank has had the honor and privilege of accompanying Rwanda in its exceptional journey of building transformational infrastructures and setting up modern institutions that led to one of the most impressive growth performances in the World in recent decades, said Keith Hansen, Country Director for Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda.
“Continuing Rwanda’s remarkable success requires accelerated efforts and collaboration to rebalance its economy away from public investment toward greater reliance on private investment, and the World Bank is committed to continuing supporting the government to attain her targeted sustainable development goals.”
Rwanda tells the world a remarkable story of poverty reduction and development. It has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, having generated persistent high growth averaging 7.2% per annum between 2000 to 2019, poverty has declined from 58.9% in 2000 to 38.2% 2016, and inequality has reduced with GINI co-efficient of 0.51 in 2000 to 0.43 in 2016 maternal mortality ratio fell from 1070 per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 203 in 2020, and by 2019, 96% of the population has health care cover, and Rwanda is a leader in gender equality, in innovation, technology, and its investment climate has radically improved.
“World Bank has been a reliable and strategic partner in supporting our country’s development trajectory over the past six decades. Together, we have achieved tangible results in reducing poverty, developing human capital, promoting private sector, increasing access to infrastructure and digital economy, improving agricultural production and commercialization as well as urban development,” said Minister Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
“We also recognize, the knowledge and technical assistances that have helped to design and implement innovative and evidence-based policies and programs which have been important guiding tools that are helping us to achieve our ambitious goals of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050,” he added.
In collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, the World Bank supported many sectors with significant impact. For instance, Rwanda has rapidly expanded access to electricity from 6% in 2003 to 65% in 2023. In this, the World Bank has mobilized resources, financed generation, transmission, and distribution of power including from renewable sources, helping fuel economic growth.
Marshland and hill-side areas have been developed, irrigation systems expanded, rural communities empowered, post-harvest infrastructures enhanced, farmers trained in modern farming techniques sector policies and institutions strengthened, and innovative approaches such as agricultural finance and insurance have been adopted improving food security and farmer’s incomes raised.
To accelerate human capital development, provision of financial support, technical expertise, data, research have improved access to quality of basic and tertiary education and acquisition of market-relevant skills. Strengthened Vision Umurenge Program has enabled poor and vulnerable households access economic inclusion services.
The World Bank, IFC and MIGA, delivered one of sub-Saharan Africa’s first PPPs in the water sector – Kigali Bulk Water Project, which is supplying 27 percent of the city’s water supply.
In the past 60 years, the World Bank has also produced knowledge, analytical work, and data which has supported the government’s evidence-based development decisions and policies.
“The speed with which Rwanda has successfully achieved major transformations is an evidence that much more can be done to realize the country’s development aspirations,” said Sahr Kpundeh, World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda.
“I would like to reaffirm that Rwanda and the World Bank will continue to work together, as we have for six decades, to further advance the country’s transformation, and to achieve green, resilient, and inclusive development to which Rwanda aspires,” he added.
Ambassador Gatete conveyed these concerns during a statement at the UN Security Council Briefing on MONUSCO Secretary General’s report on September 28, 2023, in New York.
He highlighted that despite positive developments such as the Luanda and Nairobi mechanisms and the deployment of the East Africa Regional Force (EACRF), sporadic clashes involving various groups continued in the Eastern DR Congo.
He called on the council to urged DRC government to fulfill its responsibility by disassociating from the FDLR and ensuring their immediate repatriation, as stipulated in the Luanda and Nairobi mechanisms.
Amb. Gatete stressed that hate speech and violence against Rwandophones in the region pose a grave threat to Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region.
He also expressed concerns about disinformation targeting MONUSCO and the EACRF and urged the DRC government to extend the EACRF mission during this critical period. Rwanda implored the Council to hold the DRC accountable for any resumption of hostilities and encouraged addressing the root causes of the conflict.
Among others, Amb. Gatete emphasized Rwanda’s commitment to regional mechanisms and called out external powers for pursuing their economic interests at the expense of Rwanda, which could worsen the situation in the DRC.
Lastly, he highlighted the dire humanitarian situation of DRC refugees and internally displaced persons and appealed to the Council to facilitate their safe repatriation and return.
This terrorist organization, comprised of individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has long posed a disruptive force in the region. However, today, its influence is dwindling, and its ranks are weakening.
This terrorist group, reinforced by a coalition of fighters with blood on their hands from the atrocities committed during Genocide against the Tutsi, used to receive various forms of support from anti-Kigali factions.
However, this diverse alliance is now in decline. In the past, FDLR maintained a tacit partnership with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), but this collaboration has become more open, particularly in their engagements with the March 23 Movement (M23), which has been in conflict with Kinshasa, as recently reported by the United Nations (UN).
The testimonies of Staff Sergeant Uwiduhaye Marie Chantal offer valuable insights. She spent 25 years as a member of this terrorist group before her capture in December 2022 by M23 combatants in Rutshuru, North Kivu province. Her testimony sheds light on the FDLR’s decline, as she experienced it firsthand.
Recruited into the FDLR at the tender age of 13, after fleeing her home in Rubavu, Uwiduhaye initially harbored hopes of the resurgence of a genocidal ideology in Rwanda. However, that dream gradually faded over time.
Uwiduhaye, a mother of two children who have never known their homeland, shared her post-captivity experiences at the Mutobo rehabilitation center, situated in the Musanze district. Here, she and other former combatants receive civic training to facilitate their smooth reintegration into the community.
Her revelations, including the alleged support received from the Congolese government, particularly in the illicit charcoal trade in Virunga National Park and the provision of arms and ammunition in exchange for assistance to the FARDC, raise serious concerns.
She also sheds light on the internal discord within the FDLR, which has been exacerbated by ethnic rivalries and conflicting ambitions among various factions represented by figures such as Murwanashyaka Ignace, General Wilson Irategeka, and General Byiringiro Victor, known as Rumuri.
In Uwiduhaye’s perspective, the FDLR’s incapability to seize power in Rwanda is evident, especially since she believes that their alliance project with the FARDC, who are grappling with countering the M23 rebellion, is a descent into an inevitable catastrophe.
The FDLR, which once boasted 7,000 fighters in 2007, has seen its numbers dwindle to a range of 1,000 to 1,500 combatants by 2015. They continue to lose ground on the battlefield and are currently experiencing a significant reduction in their ranks.
This decline of the terrorist group appears to be a one-way journey into the annals of history. However, for Mrs. Marie Chantal Uwiduhaye, it represents hope for a return to lasting peace in the region.
He takes over this role from Prof. Manasseh Nshuti, who has been appointed as a Senior Advisor in the President’s Office, in charge of special assignments.
Kabarebe, a retired four-star General who officially retired in August, previously held significant positions including Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff of the RDF, and Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence and Security.
Francis Gatare has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), succeeding Clare Akamanzi.
Akamanzi had assumed the same position from Gatare in 2017, who had served in that capacity since 2014 before becoming the CEO of the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB).
Gatare was subsequently appointed as the Senior Economic Advisor in the President’s Office in 2021.
Yvonne Umulisa has been appointed as the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister. Prior to this, Umulisa had served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Investments and Privatization, which was dissolved in August.
Additionally, Alphonse Rukaburandekwe has been appointed as the new Director General of the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), while Bonny Musefano has taken on the role of First Counsellor at the Rwandan Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Jean Damascène Iyamuremye, Director of the Psychiatric Unit in the Mental Health Division at RBC, emphasizes that this surge is reflected in the growing number of cases being treated in hospitals throughout the country.
He underscores the direct correlation between the COVID-19 crisis and the escalation of suicide attempts.
A probe conducted by RBC in 2018 had previously revealed that 11.9% of Rwandans were grappling with severe depression, while 35% of survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda were also affected by this condition. Additionally, young people aged 14 to 18 exhibit symptoms of mental disorders at a rate of 10%.
The 2021 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that approximately 703,000 people worldwide take their own lives each year, a figure of particular concern among individuals suffering from depression or substance abuse disorders.
WHO predicts that by 2030, depression-related disorders will become the leading cause of death globally.
In response to this crisis, Rwanda is intensifying its intervention efforts. An ad-hoc assistance center valued at Rwf2 billion has been constructed in Gasabo, and a mental health program in schools was initiated in 2020.
Dr. Iyamuremye holds an optimistic view regarding the impact of these initiatives in reducing cases of depression and suicide attempts.
President Kagame has also given his consent to the retirement of five senior officers, 28 junior officers, and 60 other ranks. Additionally, six officers have been discharged on medical grounds, while seven have been granted retirement for various reasons. This information has been officially confirmed through a statement released by the RNP on September 27, 2023.
CG Emmanuel Gasana, one of the six commissioners granted retirement, served as the RNP Inspector General from October 19, 2009, until October 18, 2018, when he assumed the role of Governor of the Southern Province. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Governor of the Eastern Province, where he has been serving up to the present.
CP Emmanuel Butera, a retiree, previously held the position of Chief of Operations under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). He also commanded the RNP’s Counterterrorism Training Centre, located in Mayange, Bugesera District.
CP Vianney Nshimiyimana, another retiree, once served as the Commander of the Police Training School in Gishari.
CP Bruce Munyambo, who is also retiring, has had a distinguished career that included serving as the UNMISS Police Commissioner, as well as holding positions as the Commander of the Police Training School in Gishari and Commissioner in charge of operations.
ACP Damas Gatare, among those granted retirement, served as the Spokesperson of the RNP and as Commissioner of Community Policing.
The cost of one kilogram of Gikungu variety potatoes has surged to an astounding Rwf2000, causing widespread disruptions in consumer patterns and raising concerns among the population.
Additionally, the price of Kinigi variety potatoes ranges from Rwf700 to Rwf800.
This price hike is unprecedented in Rwandan memory, prompting many to ponder the age-old adage, “time will tell.”
The surge in potato prices can be attributed to a delicate combination of climatic uncertainties and economic speculations. Historically, the northern and western regions of the country were known for their abundant potato production. However, the landscape has significantly transformed over time.
Apollinaire Karegeya, a respected farmer from the Musanze district, sheds light on the climatic dimension of the issue.
He points out that major climate disruptions, particularly in the Nyange and Kinigi areas, affected nearly 80% of the potato crops last May.
Flooding during that period wreaked havoc on these regions, exacerbating the potato shortage.
However, the challenges facing Rwanda’s potato market are not limited to climatic factors alone.
Testimonies gathered from local traders suggest that some of the potatoes sold in Kigali might be originating from Malawi, a country with which Rwanda has no direct trade agreements.
It has been reported that these products are being registered as Tanzanian before entering the Rwandan market through the Tunduma border post on the Tanzanian side.
Dr. Florence Uwamahoro, the Deputy Director General in charge of Agriculture Development at Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Board (RAB), offers insights into another dimension of the problem.
She suggests that the current shortage is primarily a result of the choice of crop cycles. Dr. Uwamahoro remains optimistic about the future, emphasizing ongoing efforts to promote potato cultivation.
The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Dr. Ildefonse Musafiri, has disclosed that Rwanda’s annual potato consumption exceeds one million tonnes, while local production falls short at 700,000 tonnes.
This glaring gap necessitates imports, despite Rwanda’s considerable agricultural potential.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, acknowledges the decline in local production and confirms that the majority of potato imports come from Uganda and Kenya.
However, he expresses skepticism regarding allegations involving Malawi.
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) has initiated an investigation to clarify the current state of the market.
Mrs. Béatrice Uwumukiza, RICA Director General, has said that the institution is committed to safeguarding the interests of Rwandan consumers during this uncertain period.
In this tense context, individuals like James Mudaheranwa, an agronomist at Seed Potato Fund (SPF), see an opportunity.
SPF has around 23 branches in ten districts that grow potatoes to help farmers in need of seeds.
According to Mudaheranwa, SPF can store up to 15 tonnes per year but stressed the need for farmers to be also actively involved in the storage of potatoes for themselves as a backup.
SPF aims to stabilize the market by providing high-quality seeds.
Mudaheranwa is confident that, despite the challenges, increased cooperation among stakeholders in the sector can ensure adequate potato production to meet the country’s needs.
